Five-second countdowns for throw-ins and goal kicks are set to feature at this summer’s FIFA World Cup as football’s lawmakers prepare to introduce a raft of measures to speed up play.
The success of the eight-second rule this season — which forces goalkeepers to release the ball or be punished by conceding a corner — has encouraged the International Football Association Board (IFAB) to tackle other methods used to disrupt the tempo of a match.
The IFAB is set to approve a series of law changes at its annual general meeting in Wales on Saturday, which will include giving referees licence to start a five-second countdown where they think players are taking too long at a throw-in or placed goal kick.
It is likely a referee would whistle, give a signal and then begin a five-second countdown on their hand where they feel there is a deliberate attempt to delay the restart. Taking longer than five seconds at a throw-in would result in the throw-in being reversed and to a corner being awarded where a goal kick is deliberately delayed.
Changes agreed on Saturday would officially become part of the laws of the game from July 1, but could be adopted by a competition like the World Cup which starts just before.
The IFAB is also considering a 10-second limit on substitutions. Teams who exceed this limit would be barred from bringing on that substitute and therefore be down a player for at least one minute.
The IFAB is also expected to set a game-wide limit of one minute to be applied to all competitions for players to stay off the pitch where their injury has caused play to be stopped.
Different competitions have tested different limits, from 30 seconds in the Premier League to an original three minutes in the MLS, but the IFAB is set to bring in a uniform approach.
The aim with all the measures set to be adopted is to maintain the tempo of the game but also to help reduce the time needed to be added on for stoppages, which is a problem from a player welfare perspective, for supporters and broadcasters.
Injuries to goalkeepers are set to remain exempted from the changes, but it is understood the IFAB could propose future trials whereby an outfield player has to come off where an injury to a goalkeeper forces play to be stopped.
There are concerns that in some cases teams are manipulating the rules around goalkeepers to disrupt play, discuss tactics and generally regroup.
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The World Cup is also set be the first competition to be able to take advantage of some VAR changes likely to be agreed on Saturday.
One will give competitions the option to use VAR to check corner awards, where these can be quickly rectified and do not delay the restart. Lawmakers are so adamant on avoiding delays that if a corner is taken quickly and a check is not complete, play must continue and cannot be called back.
The protocol will be extended to also allow VARs to check red cards resulting from a second yellow card, and advise referees to review where that second caution is clearly incorrect. It is also proposed VAR be able to intervene where a red or yellow card is awarded to the wrong team.
The Press Association understands a trial of the ‘daylight’ offside rule change, championed by former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, will not now take place in the Canadian Premier League, as had been suggested at last month’s IFAB annual business meeting in London.
The IFAB will discuss the ongoing trials of ‘daylight’ — which are understood to be limited in nature — and whether to also trial a modification of ‘daylight’ offside judged on whether an attacker’s torso is ahead of the second-last defender.
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